Maryland Home Ownership and the American Dream Debate

This summer, Maryland home owners have been experiencing both the start of a blistering political season and, simultaneously, what the newspaper writers call the ‘summer silly season.’ The politicians have hit the campaign trail in earnest, but in many other realms, folks tend to be on vacation (or mentally wishing they were). The result is that very unimportant stories make the evening news: the silly season. If you saw any of last week’s multiple replays of the baby deer playing with the rabbit on a lawn in Colorado, you know what the deepest part of the silly season gets you: Bambi and Thumper making headlines. ARE YOU SERIOUS?… REALLY?

But in the political realm, there’s also been a renewal of the quadrennial discussion about whether the whole American Dream is dead. That means it’s time to discuss the abstract idea and its relationship to the very concrete one: The American Dream, and your Maryland home.

For sure, “The American Dream” means more than simply owning a home in Maryland (despite the fact that those of us in real estate would like to see it included in the definition). The three words in “The American Dream” make up one of the few phrases that, even though we all know it means different things to different people, still triggers a degree of reverence. When a politician brings up “The American Dream” it’s probably because it’s a topic that most listeners will identify with – one that causes people to feel both nostalgic, protective, and even patriotic.

“The American Dream” evokes apple pie and Aunt Em; Tom Sawyer and a horse-drawn trolley on Main Street. It’s a part of an American past we all wanted to experience. Pollsters tell us that safeguarding future generations’ access to “The American Dream” is an obligation most Americans accept: in fact, 2015’s 60 Minutes-Vanity Fair poll says that to 44% of Americans, giving their kids a better life is its very definition.

At least in the 20th century, to a very great number of people “The American Dream” also went hand-in-hand with owning a home of your own. But does it still truly include home ownership? Wikipedia offers a comprehensive roundup of ideas about “The American Dream”, which includes a subsection on Home Ownership (but it also has sections on the American Dream inBritain…and Russia…and even the People’s Republic of China!) It really has to make you wonder—can the “American Dream” be in bad shape if it’s so contagious? And if owning a home is no longer a part of it, how come Maryland’s residential real estate market is bouncing back so vigorously?

The season may be the silly in some newsrooms (and always on the internet), but when it comes to listings and showings for the rest of 2015 in Maryland’s home market, these weeks are a most SERIOUS time of year – and an excellent time to give ExecuHome Realty a call!We are Maryland’s Largest In-State Real Estate Brokerage featuring over 350 of Maryland’s best and experienced realtors.We can’t wait to help you fulfill your “American Dream”, contact us at 443-632-3800 or by CLICKING HERE.